Chapter 16
It was a warning that she would be nothing more and nothing less than a lifelong mistress. Verita’s face turned pale, and she buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
I watched Verita with a dry gaze before turning away.
As I opened the door and lifted my gaze, I unexpectedly came face to face with someone.
“Lady Lilien?”
“Countess…”
Lilien was sweating nervously, her expression caught between a smile and a cry. In other words—
“T-The weather is nice, isn’t it…?”
She had the troubled look of someone who had overheard something they shouldn’t have.
We sat side by side on the terrace, as silent as the streets at dawn.
Between us were two cups of lemon tea and a fresh cream cake that Lilien had made during her lessons.
I stared beyond the white arched railing. The servants were busy watering the garden, and a footman was polishing the fountain until it sparkled.
It was all because of Edmund’s recent return.
I watched the gardener tending the landscape with interest before shifting my gaze back to Lilien. Our eyes met.
Lilien had been glancing at me nervously, but when our eyes locked, she widened her eyes like a startled puppy.
She looked quite cute.
Enough to soothe the unsettling emotions that had been stirring within me.
“You heard the conversation, didn’t you?”
“I-I’m sorry… I heard from the butler that your sister-in-law was visiting, so I thought I should come and greet you…”
“I’m not here to reprimand you. I was just going to tell you that it’s fine.”
Devon’s affair, the argument with Verita, and the process of preparing for the divorce.
After everything I had already exposed, there was little left to hide.
“Thank you for understanding, Countess.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lilien smiled awkwardly, pulling at the ends of her half-tied hair and fidgeting with it.
She looked like she wanted to ask something but was hesitating, afraid of upsetting me.
Then, after a long pause, she finally spoke in a trembling voice, her eyes red with emotion.
“To you… am I the same as that person?”
“No, you were deceived.”
“B-But… I ended up adding to the pain you suffered, Countess. I wanted to help you…”
Ah. Now I understood why Edmund kept me trapped in the mansion.
A sigh escaped me as a realization struck my mind.
It seemed that Lilien saw me as more than just a kind acquaintance—she considered me a true friend.
That’s why Edmund was so wary of me. After all, every one of her past friends had been utterly terrible.
The tangled situation was frustrating, but I couldn’t exactly blame Lilien for unknowingly making things more complicated.
I recalled my roommate during my studies abroad, who used to advise me that the weak tend to act even weaker. But what could I do? This was simply my nature.
When I let out a small sigh, Lilien flinched as if struck by lightning.
“I-I’m sorry! Are you tired? Of course, you must be. You just went through something so emotionally draining, and here I am, keeping you…”
Lilien’s overreaction to my sigh left me slightly bewildered. Could it be… that she was still walking on eggshells around me because of that incident?
‘Well, I did only hint at it—I never actually told her the truth about Devon.’
I didn’t want Lilien to feel guilty for something that wasn’t her fault.
“Lady Lilien, let me be clear about this. I don’t blame or resent you. We are both victims here.”
Lilien’s eyes widened slightly, her lips parting in surprise. Then, as if something had clicked in her mind, she lowered her gaze and let out a small, bud-like smile.
“You said the same thing when we first met. You had no reason to feel kindly toward me, yet… you comforted me.”
I smiled awkwardly. It seemed like she was romanticizing me.
But I wasn’t acting out of some grand sense of justice. It was a momentary flicker of guilt over almost killing her, combined with sheer coincidence. She had been there at the right time.
She didn’t know I had once plotted her assassination—hence, her reaction.
As I blinked absentmindedly, Lilien suddenly grinned, as if she could read my thoughts.
“I know. It wasn’t some deeply meaningful act to you. But sometimes, even a small spark can turn into a great fire. For me, it did.”
She spoke candidly about how her uncle had tried to sell her to an aging noble, how she had spent the lonely nine years of Edmund’s absence avoiding her uncle’s scorn.
“No matter how much I tried to make friends, it never worked out. I always thought the problem lay with me… but when I heard your words, it was like a wake-up call.”
Lilien met my gaze and smiled brightly, toying with her half-tied hair.
Instinctively, I averted my eyes. Knowing that my words had been a source of comfort to someone was both rewarding and embarrassing.
“Yes, that’s why I really like my hair like this. Because you complimented it. And I want to get close to people who like me just as I am.”
She twirled a strand of her silver hair around her fingers, looking at me with an earnest gaze.
“For example, you, Countess.”
Then, as if realizing how embarrassing her words were, she let out a small whimper and hid her face behind her hair.
‘…Adorable.’
I couldn’t stop my lips from twitching. Honest people were incredibly endearing. Or maybe, Lilien herself was simply that charming.
In a life filled with vengeance and relentless struggle, she was like warm spring sunlight.
For some reason, I found myself hoping that when I left the mansion after my divorce, Lilien would have many friends by her side. So she would never be lonely again.
“Lady Lilien, why don’t you call me something more comfortable? I don’t want to be addressed as ‘the Countess’ anymore.”
Hearing the title ‘Countess of Buell’ was enough to make me sick.
At my informal request, Lilien’s face lit up like a lamp being switched on.
“Yes! Then… um…”
She rolled her eyes, hesitating before finally gathering the courage to speak, her cheeks flushed red.
“E-Etricia…”
She looked like a puppy awaiting approval from its owner, which made me chuckle.
“That’s nice. Please, feel free to call me that.”
Lilien beamed and cupped her cheeks, whispering my name under her breath over and over again.
Could just calling a name bring someone such happiness?
Compared to some people, she was truly someone with humble desires.
Suddenly, she clenched her fists with determination.
“Etricia, if you ever need my help, please let me know!”
She looked as resolute as a knight swearing loyalty.
I couldn’t help but laugh at her sincerity. As I covered my mouth, she tilted her head in confusion before awkwardly smiling along with me.
For the first time, I saw Lilien clearly. As if she had always been there, but I was only now truly noticing her.
‘What a relief. I didn’t let this person die.’
